GameFly goes digital with PC game “rental” service

Game rental service GameFly will soon offer PC game "rentals" to subscribers, …

GameFly will launch a new program through which subscribers can rent PC titles that will be delivered digitally instead of through the mail.

GameFly is best known for its game rental service where customers can have differing numbers of games out at a time—much like the original Netflix. The new digital storefront allows subscribers to play PC games at no additional charge; access to the games is cut off when you end your subscription. The announcement comes three months after GameFly purchased Direct2Drive from IGN.

GameFly goes digital

"It's kind of like a Spotify or Rhapsody or a Napster," GameFly co-founder Sean Spector told USA Today. "You have access to the content as long as you are a subscriber but when you are no longer a member, the content then disappears."

A closed beta of the downloadable client will launch early next month, while the full version is expected to be available in time for the holidays. Around 100 games are expected to be available for download initially, and the service will be PC only to start (Mac games will be available at a later date). Based on the teaser trailer, it looks like the service may already have support from major publishers like Ubisoft.

Of course, GameFly isn't the first to offer a digital subscription-based rental service, as GameTap already provides a similar experience. The main difference is that the GameFly service is tied to the disc-rental business—as of now GameFly has no plans to offer a digital-only subscription option, according to Joystiq.

You can sign up for the closed beta, which begins on September 8, here.